On May 17, the Guiding Opinions of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on Promoting the Development of Western Region to Form a New Pattern in the New Era was officially released, giving opinions on accelerating the formation of a new pattern in developing the western region and promoting high-quality development in the region. Chongqing, as an important strategic fulcrum of western development, thus ushers in new development opportunities.

Specifically, the Guiding Opinions stipulates as follows:

• By 2020, the western region will see significant improvements in ecology, business, opening-up, and innovation, and build a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way.
• By 2035, the western region will basically realize socialist modernization, with basic public services, infrastructure accessibility, and people’s living standards roughly equivalent to those in the eastern region. Efforts will be made to realize the complementary development of different types of regions, the mutual opening and coordination of the east and the west, the prosperity, security and stability in ethnic border areas, and harmonious coexistence between human beings and nature.
• By 2020, all the rural poor population and all the poor counties in the western region will be lifted out of poverty.
• Accelerate the planning and construction of Sichuan-Tibet Railway, High-Speed Railway Passage along the Yangtze River, Chongqing-Kunming High-Speed Railway, Xining-Chengdu Railway, and other significant projects.
• Support Chongqing, Sichuan, and Shaanxi to give full play to their comprehensive advantages, build a central open highland, and form an open hub.
• Actively implement the project of China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity.
• Encourage Chongqing, Chengdu, Xi’an, etc. to accelerate the construction of international gateway hub city, and improve the supporting capacity of Kunming, Nanning, Urumqi, Lanzhou, Hohhot and other provincial capitals for sub-regional cooperation with neighboring countries.
• Strengthen the cooperation and interaction between the northwest and southwest regions, promote the coordinated development of urban agglomerations in the Chengdu-Chongqing region and the Central Shaanxi Plain, and build a core engine leading the opening up and development of the western region.
• Support the establishment and improvement of cooperative and open development mechanisms in the old revolutionary base areas, including Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia, Sichuan-Shaanxi, Zuojiang, and Youjiang in Guangxi, and the adjacent areas across provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the central government) including Sichuan-Chongqing, Chongqing-Yunnan-Guizhou, and Chongqing-Guizhou. Accelerate the process of critical regional integration.
• Focus on Fenhe-Weihe River Plain, Chengdu-Chongqing region, Urumqi and surrounding areas, strengthen joint prevention and control of air pollution, and improve the ability to cope with heavy pollution weather.